


Words Are Very Unnecessary

by Dracothelizard



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Dorkiness, M/M, Season/Series 03
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-04
Updated: 2014-05-04
Packaged: 2018-01-21 22:39:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1566584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dracothelizard/pseuds/Dracothelizard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"It all started after they saved Ronon from the Wraith leader on Sateda and Teyla hasn’t given him a break since. In hindsight, it probably started while they were saving Ronon from the Wraith leader, with that awkward conversation on the Daedalus. <br/>Why Teyla thinks a conversation about feelings with Ronon would go any better than the one he tried to have with her is beyond him." </p>
<p>Basically, Sheppard is an uncommunicative dork and Ronon is okay with that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Words Are Very Unnecessary

This is a terrible idea, he thinks to himself.

Then he forces himself to think, carpe diem.

It doesn’t make what he’s about to do any better of an idea, but it makes it slightly easier for John to keep moving, to keep looking for Ronon. His palms are sweaty and part of him hopes he doesn’t find the guy, that Ronon went to the mainland with Zelenka without telling him or something. If he can’t find Ronon, he can’t talk to him, and if he can’t talk to him, he doesn’t have to face the possibility of rejection.

But of course he finds Ronon in the mess hall, he’s sitting with Teyla and eating lunch. “Teyla, Ronon,” he greets them politely.

“Hello John,” Teyla replies warmly.

Ronon nods at him. “Sheppard.”

He sits down, feeling slightly less awkward than he did standing up. “How’s lunch?”

“Nourishing,” Teyla replies, smiling innocently as if she hasn’t been cornering John in quiet corners and insisting that while she understands he is terrible at talking about how he feels, it would be better if he did. It all started after they saved Ronon from the Wraith leader on Sateda and she hasn’t given him a break since. In hindsight, it probably started while they were saving Ronon from the Wraith leader, with that awkward conversation on the Daedalus.

Why Teyla thinks a conversation about feelings with Ronon would go any better than the one he tried to have with her is beyond him.

“It’s all right,” Ronon says, eating the last of his sandwich.

Teyla has finished as well and John doesn’t have any food. He should probably say something. “So. They finally got round to sending me all my Friday the 13th DVDs.” Well, it’s marginally better than mentioning the weather.

Teyla and Ronon exchange a glance, then Teyla stands up. “I am meeting Elizabeth for chess,” she says. “She has been teaching me over the last few weeks and I think I might actually win today.”

“You should talk to Zelenka,” John tells her. “He’s running a chess club; I bet he’d love to have you as a member. You know, they might be practising right now, why don’t I walk with you and–” He’s halfway to standing up when she puts her hand on his shoulder.

“You can show me once I beat Elizabeth,” she says, her smile widening. “I am sure you have better things to do, John.”

“Go kick her ass, Teyla!” Ronon calls out when she leaves, then he leans closer. “So, you were looking for me?”

How does he know? “What? No. I was – I was just wandering around and I happened to find you guys,” John says, momentarily taken aback by how close Ronon is. They’re only inches away from each other now, and he leans back. “Thought I’d talk to you.”

“And you wanted to talk to me about Friday the 13th?” Ronon asks, sounding amused.

“Yes.” John raises his eyebrows slightly, daring Ronon to make fun of him. This isn’t going entirely to plan, but he likes the idea of discussing eighties horror movies a lot more than discussing his feelings.

Ronon’s mouth twists into the fond half-smile he saves for when John is making a reference to something Ronon’s never heard of. “Go on.”

Suddenly, John’s mind is a complete blank. He blames Ronon and his half-smile and the warmth in his eyes. “It’s, er, about a bunch of teenagers who go camping and then a masked psychopath turns up and murders them.”

Ronon lets out a laugh. “I thought that was Halloween.”

“No,” John replies, a little too defensive, “that’s about a bunch of teenagers in the city and – and then a masked psychopath turns up and murders them.”

“Exactly.” Ronon’s grinning now.

John huffs, and smiles as well. “It’s different,” he insists. Different enough.

Ronon leans forward again. “Why don’t you show me?”

“Fine,” he says, then realises that this means having Ronon in his quarters for a long time, assuming he can convince Ronon to stick around for all the movies. Probably not, the fifth one is hard-going even for John who actually likes the series. Still, maybe talking’ll be easier when they’re watching drunk teenagers get killed.

***

They’re both sitting on John’s bed, a few inches of space between them as they watch the first movie, and so far Ronon is not impressed by anyone’s survival skills.

“Their survival isn’t the point, Ronon,” John says, when another camp councillor has been stabbed violently.

“So what is the point?” Ronon asks, turning his head to face John. The expression in his eyes is serious, and something in John’s stomach twists. Ronon knows something’s up and John still doesn’t know what he wants to say.

But this is it. This is his chance. He can either pretend Ronon’s question is about the movie, or answer truthfully. “You were right. In the mess hall.”

Ronon raises his eyebrows. “About what?”

He shifts awkwardly on his bed. “I was looking for you.”

“I already knew that.”

Of course Ronon did. “And it wasn’t because of Friday the 13th.”

Ronon just nods encouragingly.

“The point is,” he starts, and doesn’t know what to say. He glances at the screen, but the girl running for her life through a dark forest isn’t helping. “The point is, this is all Teyla’s fault. She talked to me on the Daedalus, back when we were gonna rescue you from the Wraith on Sateda. She wanted to thank me.”

“Right,” Ronon replies, sounding confused.

“But then she kept talking to me. And you know how stubborn Teyla can be, even though she knew I was terrible at – at that sort of thing.” He gestures vaguely, and Ronon frowns.

“Sheppard?”

“I mean, I’m used to flying, flying’s simple, you know?” he continues. “It doesn’t involve a lot of people and I like that. Not that I hate people. I like people. Some people, anyway. And I like talking to some people but not about everything. Have you ever tried talking to Rodney about his research? I’m pretty sure he doesn’t even speak English when he’s trying to explain something.”

“John.” Quiet, but firm.

He stops. “Yes?”

“So what is the point?” Ronon asks, leaning closer and giving him a very significant look.

John looks back, and then he realises that his approach to this whole thing has been wrong. Because Teyla has been telling him to talk about things, but this is Ronon. Ronon who isn’t exactly a talker either. He takes a deep breath, and leans in slowly until he’s certain that Ronon isn’t backing off or punching him in the face, and then he closes his eyes and presses his lips against Ronon’s. They’re dry and he can feel the scratch of Ronon’s beard against his skin, but John couldn’t be happier. “That,” he says, when he moves back after a few seconds. His heart is racing in his chest, and his palms are sweaty again.

“Oh.” Ronon’s smile widens. “Good.”

“Good?”

“Yeah.”

John’s pretty sure his own smile is wide and goofy, and he shifts to sit closer to Ronon, who throws an arm around him to pull him even closer. “So what d’you think about the movie?” It’s like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. He’s definitely gonna tell Teyla tomorrow that talking about feelings is overrated.

“It’s not bad,” Ronon replies, “but I liked the one where the girl was haunted in her dreams better.”

“Nightmare on Elm Street. What d’you like about that one?”

“The end where she defended herself through traps,” Ronon says. “It’s easy enough to do that in the forest, I don’t know why they haven’t set any traps in this movie.”

John has to agree with them there. “Remind me to show you Home Alone.” He’s pretty sure Ronon’ll appreciate the slapstick in that one.


End file.
